Hit-and-run driver who injured child sought

-year-old flown to hospital after accident

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help to locate a vehicle that was involved in a hit-and-run crash Wednesday afternoon that sent a 4-year-old boy to the hospital with serious leg injuries.

Officials said witnesses told them that two vehicles, a gold car and a green pickup truck, were engaged in a road rage confrontation while driving on East Normandy Boulevard.

People in both vehicles were throwing things at each other and weaving in traffic, witnesses said.

Investigators said the driver of the gold car threw something and then suddenly lost control.

The car struck a bench near the intersection of East Normandy Boulevard and East Hancock Drive where Luis Ortiz, his father, his sister and another man were waiting for a bus, according to a news release.

"I can't believe someone did this to him and had no empathy for him," aunt Rachel Soto said. "Neither one had any empathy for my nephew ... that just breaks my heart."

Deputies said after hitting Luis, the driver turned his vehicle into the parking lot of nearby Deltona Christian Church before driving away.

The injured boy was flown to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach to be treated for a broken femur and several cuts. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. No one else was injured.

The vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s or early 2000s gold, four-door Chrysler Sebring with heavy damage to the front passenger side.

The driver is a light-skinned Hispanic man in his early 20s with a shaved head.

Deputies said they would also like to speak to the occupants of the pickup truck that was involved in the road rage situation in case they have any useful information.

"When you do things like that, things like this happen, and now, my nephew is in the hospital paying for it," Rachel Soto said.

The green pickup truck had a camper top and several veterans stickers on the back. There was also a memorial sticker on it that said "Cody Kuffner, 1988-2008," officials said.

Anyone with information about either vehicle is asked to contact the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at 386-860-7030 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS.